This sgt. 1st class lost his leg to an IED. Now he’s a jumpmaster. An incredible comeback story
By Sean D. Naylor - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Feb 23, 2009 16:36:46 EST

One by one, as their names were called, the 70 graduates from 3rd Special Forces Group’s demanding jumpmaster course strode to the front of the classroom to receive their certificates.

The Nov. 18 ceremony in the Fort Bragg, N.C., headquarters of the group’s 2nd Battalion, was similar to dozens of graduation events held each week across the Army, with one exception: the 33-year-old sergeant first class who, when his turn came, walked with a slight limp to accept his certificate. On that day, he became the first amputee to graduate from any Army jumpmaster course.

“Finally,” “Mikey” Fairfax thought as he regarded the admiring and respectful faces of his peers, “I’m back in the Army. I’m